Cats Have Nine Lives, So They Say

Uchiha Feng put away the scroll in his hand and looked at the cat-faced old woman.

The cat-faced old woman frowned slightly when she saw Uchiha Feng's action.

In her eyes, Uchiha Feng was no longer merely a fallen noble. He was also a prized prize.

The Ninja Cat Clan had failed to reach a consensus internally. The fact that they had not kicked him while he was down was already the utmost benevolence.

"I heard cats have nine lives. Is that true?"

Uchiha Feng suddenly said something that seemed entirely unrelated.

"What?" The cat-faced old woman was stunned for a moment.

Tap~

Tap~

Tap~

Without continuing to waste words with the cat-faced old woman, Uchiha Feng's clone, transformed into Yajirobe, was already preparing to leave. His wooden sandals struck the floor with each step.

He stepped only on the ground, never on the carpet bearing the Uchiha Clan crest.

"Leave the thing behind!"

Sharp wind-nature chakra coated the cat-faced old woman's claws as she lunged at Yajirobe.

"You really don't know when to quit. Still, you have some use left. Tell the Ninja Cat Clan's chief to keep my things safe. I'll personally come and take back what belongs to me!"

A flash of blade light flickered from the Yajirobe clone's hand.

He appeared behind the cat-faced old woman and spoke calmly.

Thud~

Thud~

Two objects hit the ground.

The louder one was the cat-faced old woman's body as it crashed onto the floor, her mouth still emitting continuous snarls.

The quieter one was the cat-faced old woman's right hand as it fell to the floor, its fingers still twitching.

Blood sprayed from the wound onto the carpet, landing precisely on the Uchiha Clan crest.

Yajirobe truly deserved to be called a tank-built Yasuo. The speed and power of that Forward Slash left the cat-faced old woman unable to resist.

"Meow—do you really not fear your intelligence falling into Konoha's hands? Damn it!"

The cat-faced old woman's face was filled with venom. Her right hand had actually been severed so casually. Did this little fatty truly have no scruples?

"Konoha? If it weren't for that traitorous family, would Konoha dare make a move?

And you lot, do you think you've hidden yourselves well?

Don't worry. The Uchiha Clan will reclaim everything, piece by piece. Starting with you!"

Uchiha Feng had not wanted to pay her any attention, but her familiar face overlapped somewhat with the face he had worn on the night of the clan massacre.

His right hand rested on the samurai sword at his waist. A flash of blade light swept across the cat-faced old woman's waist.

"You actually—"

The cat-faced old woman split into two halves, utterly losing all signs of life, her face frozen in disbelief.

"I originally wanted you to carry a message, but that expression of yours made me very uncomfortable!"

To eliminate any future trouble, Uchiha Feng's Yajirobe clone directly killed the cat-faced old woman.

[＋114~]

The soul points arrived. Judging from their amount, this cat-faced old woman had strength comparable to a newly advanced jonin.

A wave of hunger surged through him, leaving Uchiha Feng momentarily stunned.

What was going on? Why did he suddenly want to eat at a time like this?

Yajirobe's consciousness awakened in his mind and said sheepishly, "Such fine ingredients shouldn't be wasted!"

Uchiha Feng's consciousness nearly scattered from Yajirobe's words.

The ingredients Yajirobe meant were none other than the cat-faced old woman he had just killed.

Though he was not sure what species she had originally been, her current appearance was utterly nauseating.

"Stop. Don't ever touch that kind of thing."

Though Uchiha Feng respected these card characters, this body was still his clone. He had no desire to eat random, disgusting things.

"Really not? Cat meat is such a rare delicacy."

Yajirobe still refused to give up and asked again.

"No. The plan to obtain bodies for you all will have to be moved up! Endure for a while longer."

Yajirobe's behavior made Uchiha Feng abandon his previous plan. He needed to bring these card characters' true bodies into the world as soon as possible.

Originally, he had wanted to use the ability of Shadow Clones to save the soul points needed for the cards' descent. Now, however, he had to hunt enough soul points as quickly as possible to allow their true bodies to descend.

He could let the consciousnesses of these cards use his clones to act. Although they took on the cards' appearances, the memories would still merge into Uchiha Feng's mind after the clones were dispelled.

He did not want Yajirobe's consciousness to control his clone someday, eat something unspeakable somewhere, and then leave him with the feeling of having eaten shit after the clone was dispelled.

However, one card required ten thousand soul points to descend. That was no small number, equivalent to the soul points produced after half of the Uchiha Clan had died.

Ignoring Yajirobe's voice in his mind, he prepared to leave.

As soon as he stepped out of the merchant association's gates, several stray cats in the shadows along the street watched him. What had just happened might already have spread.

"What an unpleasant feeling!"

Uchiha Feng glanced at the building. It had once been an Uchiha Clan property, yet it was no longer under the Uchiha Clan's protection.

Uchiha Feng's body slowly rose into the air above the merchant association. The stray cats watching him all lifted their heads.

Air Cannon!

Uchiha Feng formed a rectangular frame with the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, completely enclosing the merchant association within it. The ki in his body surged wildly.

For a moment, those stray cats felt instinctive terror and scattered in all directions.

Boom~

Ki gathered in Uchiha Feng's hands and erupted from the rectangular frame, becoming a powerful energy wave that struck the merchant association.

A deafening explosion rang out.

Smoke and dust filled the air.

The merchant association building that had stood there vanished without a trace.

In its place was a rectangular crater more than ten meters deep.

Uchiha Feng flew away using the Flying Technique, heading toward where his main body was. Yet his body suddenly swerved in midair, nearly falling from the sky.

"I was too careless just now. After using the Air Cannon created by Tien of the Crane Hermit School, the ki in my body dropped to a low point. Even using the Flying Technique is difficult."

In the sky, Uchiha Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead, annoyed by his own carelessness.

Fortunately, he was not in battle right now. Otherwise, he would have suffered badly.

Without concealing himself in the slightest, Uchiha Feng's clone swaggered into an inn opened by the Land of Iron's daimyo.

He even deliberately moved about within the sight of a stray cat. He wanted the Ninja Cat Clan to know.

He had come!

At the inn, Uchiha Feng created two clones.

They respectively took the forms of Dumpling and Yajirobe, and he released their consciousnesses. They now had the ability to control these clones.

Yajirobe still held some resentment over missing such good ingredients, seemingly throwing a small tantrum at Uchiha Feng.

"One world is a new journey. Now, my fate is tied to yours.

You should understand that I do not wish to erase your consciousnesses, but in certain matters, you must follow my arrangements. Do you understand?"

Uchiha Feng wore a serious expression. He did not want anything unfriendly to happen.

These card characters absolutely obeyed his commands, but minor issues could still lead to deviations. For instance, a glutton like Yajirobe might eat food that Uchiha Feng could not accept.

It would be fine if the characters had descended in their true bodies, but for now, Yajirobe was using his clone.